Critical Mass in Manchester as well this Friday, meet at Central Library 18:00 (although there's usually plenty of milling about time). Am picking up a new powered sub woofer soon and hoping to give it a run out if I can work out how to keep the rain off it.

Yes, I made it there. I had a quite rewarding ride up to the meeting place, relieved that my back is giving me a let-off for the moment after all my whingeing (thanks to those who asked). I rode up the by no means trivial climbs into Outwood and then Bletchingley - at the end of the latter one of my feet was in agony with something between cramp and a pulled muscle perhaps, but the pain eased off later. After that I was in no state to cycle up the hairpin bend of Hilltop Lane into Chaldon, so I walked it, as I'd planned to anyway. Actually 'limped' is a better word than 'walked' but nevertheless I got there. I'd allowed 5 hours for the 45 into London but did it in 4 - about my normal pace despite the walk. Perhaps things are looking up.

As for the CM itself: much already written up elsewhere. It was a good one, went on a new route, stayed true to its main aim of being about cycling, about being seen as cyclists. As Tony said, very little Trusta nonsense at the junctions: there was one guy who started - alone - with the bike-waving-in-air stuff. Then he looked around, noticed no-one else was joining in, and rather sheepishly lowered his bike to the ground. That's the sort of CM it was. And, of course, can't pass without a mention for Beatrix, who did us proud.